A man has been arrested for allegedly committing more than 100 thefts in Home Depot stores across the country
via People:
The Ohio Township Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Thursday that Georgia native Antonio Bryant was taken into custody after causing “tens of thousands of dollars in losses” for the home improvement retailer.
Bryant is accused of committing robberies in Home Depot’s located in states like Texas and Ohio. Authorities became aware of Bryant’s whereabouts after his vehicle was spotted by Ohio Township Police Officer Bissiere.
According to the department’s post, Bissiere set up surveillance and was able to apprehend him “as he was committing his latest theft.”
“The information learned from the arrest will be shared with law enforcement across the country so additional charges can be filed,” the department added. PEOPLE has reached out to the department for additional information.
According to WPXI, Bryant posted bail after being taken to the Allegheny County Jail and is also facing retail theft charges from a separate incident in Cranberry Township. During the alleged thefts, “Bryant would ticket-switch items, including smoke detectors and digital switches,” the outlet adds.
Home Depot stated in a report in August that they “operated a total of 2,326 retail stores in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, 10 Canadian provinces, and Mexico” as of the end of its second quarter.
Company CEO Ted Decker shared in an interview with CNBC’s Squawk Box that thefts have become a “big problem for retail.”
“This isn’t the random shoplifter anymore,” he said. “A lot of this product is [re-sold] on online marketplaces. One of the things we’re doing is working with local, state, and federal government to really educate them on what’s going on.” To combat the issue, he added that the company has “had to lock up a lot of high-value items, and they’re not all big.”
“They’re not all power tools and generators,” he explained. “You could have a circuit breaker that’s 50, 60, 80 dollars. Those are high-theft items.”
100 thefts? That’s commitment.
